The world is a culturally rich and diverse place with many different communities, tribes and traditions. It comes as no surprise that here at CulturallyOurs, we are enamored by culture and diversity from around the world. The more we learn and understand how people all over the world live life, the more we appreciate all the diversity around us – in life, lifestyle, food, art, customs and traditions.
Sara Jane Armstrong, a travel blogger, is taking us through the cultural history of the Rapa Nui in one of the most remote inhabited places on earth – Easter Island – who are they, where did they come from and their culture.
From SJ,
Fanciful myths and wild sci-fi theories have defined the popular narrative around Easter Island. Its Moai statues have captured the imaginations of thousands, a distinct style unique to an extraordinary island. However, few people pause for a thought of the people that built them. For centuries the Rapa Nui people have developed a rich culture in the remotest known inhabited spot on the planet.
For thousands of miles to the north, to the south, to the east and to the west, the Rapa Nui are alone. Their closest neighbours in Tahiti are more than 4,000km away. The islanders believe that they are descended from travellers from another Polynesian island, master navigators and seafarers who had to find a new home after a dream warned the king that theirs would sink into the sea. In the oral tradition that has become the basis for much of the island’s history, seven sailors discovered the land and returned the information to their leader. It was then King Hotu Matua’a who led the Rapa Nui people from the mythical island of Hiva, amounting to a population of around 100. There are multiple spots on the island, marked by the iconic Moai, where these settlers and explorers supposedly landed, eventually founding the nation of Rapa Nui.
The religion and spirituality that developed here is specific to the Rapa Nui people. Regardless of how remote, how rarely contacted, a fundamental element of intelligent existence is a questioning as to why it exists, and this community is no different. Much emphasis on the island is placed on the respect and worship of ancestors. Figures like King Hotu Matua’a have been elevated to a mythic, god-like level by his descendants. The Rapa Nui believe that the spirits of their forefathers help them in life, and that their spiritual energy, known as ‘mana’, lingers around their relatives long after they pass from the physical world. These most prominent ancestors served as the inspiration for the iconic Moai statues that litter the island, icons aiding remembrance and reverence of those that came before them.
Chatting to a pair of Rapa Nui sisters during my visit to the island, I learnt which of the statues represented their family’s ancestors, a point of great pride and heritage on the islands. They explained the significance of the statues, of the spirits, and of the importance of ancestry on the island. With such a small community, fluctuating from hundreds to tens of thousands over the centuries, most of the modern Rapa Nui are descended from local royalty. The kings that presided over the island warred with each other over power and resources for many years, and many Moai were destroyed in the process. With the collapse of the statues, as well as the headpieces and eye detailing that gives them their power, warring factions believed that they killed their enemies spiritual protection and guidance. Unfortunately, this also means that many statues were destroyed, with some remaining in states of disrepair to this day.
Typical to Polynesian tradition, tattoos also play a role in the spirituality and ritualism that has shaped Rapa Nui culture. It is believed that some forms of body art act as receptors for the ‘mana’ energy. The most important figures, such as priests or kings, bore more tattoos to strengthen their connection with this divine strength, leading to the connotations of class and social standing that came with body art. Even the Moai bare ‘tattoos’ etched into their backs, carvings that represent the religious symbols that are common across the island. These same symbols make up much of the local body art, often depicting Make-Make, the creator god.
When you first reach Easter Island, the Moai are an imposing figure on the horizon. Artworks so famous that they have been elevated to mystic status, that initial glimpse seems surreal. Rough waves crashing against the coastal rocks spray water over the Moai’s heads, framing the statues standing sentinels, defending Rapa Nui from the elements. These powerful remnants of kings and ancestors are, doubtlessly, what will always draw tourists to the island. Yet, once you arrive you will realise that they only represent one element of the story of Rapa Nui.
These islanders represent a rare example of a culture and community that has developed in total isolation, their language, religious customs, musical traditions and spiritual practises exemplify in individuality of indigenous culture. While most countries in the world can trace the paths of cultural inspiration, through travel and trade and diversity, Rapa Nui was never exposed to foreign influence until well after their foundation. And when these foreign influences came, they withstood. The islanders have faced internal wars, famines, loss of their natural landscape and their resources. Foreign slavers have come and left in droves, leaving little in their wake but chaos and smallpox epidemics. Colonial powers have jostled amongst each other for control of the land, leaving little concern for the people they hoped to rule.
In spite of their tumultuous recent history the people of Rapa Nui have preserved their culture. Their language and their oral tradition remain an important part of modern education on the island, and with every traveller that comes for the Moai and stays for the island, the story of the Rapa Nui people lives on further.
{Words by Sara-Jane Armstrong, Website: Listen To The Wild, Instagram: @listento.thewild}
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